Seattle Funds Security for 10 Grocery Stores in $1.7 Million Plan as Crime Criticism Mounts
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 23
Seattle Funds Security for 10 Grocery Stores in $1.7 Million Plan as Crime Criticism Mounts
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 23
Summary
$1.7 million in Seattle's 2026 budget will fund security support for 10 independent grocery stores, with one-time money for upgrades and repairs after theft, break-ins and vandalism.
Katie Wilson said the plan is meant to keep neighborhood grocers safe and accessible, and the city will also work with the Independent Grocers Alliance to study eight neighborhoods for possible new stores.
Critics argue the city is using taxpayer money to help businesses absorb crime instead of preventing it, saying stronger law enforcement and more arrests would do more than subsidized security.
Seattle's broader retail-crime backdrop remains severe: police logged nearly 7,500 larceny-theft offenses through May, while department staffing fell from 1,424 officers in 2019 to 1,054 in 2024 before rebounding.